The National Mango Board (NMB) has concluded its second Rising Mango Star Video Contest, a cooking contest for aspiring kid chefs aged eight to 14 in the US.
The program, which supports the NMB’s goal of increasing consumer education and media coverage, builds on the board’s kids outreach programs and was recognized recently within the industry for its marketing excellence.??
“Our goal is to establish a connection between mangos and our youngest consumers and increase mango loyalty throughout a lifetime,” said Wendy McManus, NMB marketing director, in a press release.
This year, the NMB received entries from all over the country and brought three finalists from Florida and Texas to compete in the final cook-off in Hollywood. Devin Davis aged 13, of Plant City, FL was declared the winner.??
The 2008 Rising Mango Star Video Contest recently received the Marketing Excellence Award from Produce Business magazine, where the event was recognized as an innovative produce marketing initiative yielding more than 50 million consumer impressions.
In 2008, the title of Rising Mango Star went to Dean Sturt of Rowlett, TX. Dean appeared as a special guest on the Bonnie Hunt Show last November to prepare his dish in front of the show’s live audience.
??“We’ve found that the Rising Mango Star Video Contest is a great opportunity for kids and their parents to create lasting memories with mangos and learn to appreciate cooking at a young age. Our winner, Devin Davis, really showed a thorough understanding of mangos and real passion for cooking with them,” said Ms McManus.
“We’re thankful to the California School of Culinary Arts for hosting the final cook-off at their Hollywood campus, which is a beautiful site and really gave our finalists a feel for working in a professional kitchen.”
??Rising Mango Star gives the NMB an opportunity to utilize mango mascot and ambassador Jango Mango, promotes the use of the Mango.org Web site, encourages creativity amongst kids and teaches them about the nutrition benefits and versatility of cooking with mangos.
The contest was promoted in print and on the internet, including social networking sites on Facebook and MySpace.
??In addition to creating excitement amongst families entering the contest, the results of the Rising Mango Star Video Contest can also be found in consumer media such as the Dallas Observer, Tampa Tribune, FamilyCircle.com and even broadcast coverage on Los Angeles-based KABC-TV and Tampa-based WTSP-TV.
The NMB is conducting additional outreach with the announcement of the winner to get the word out not only about the cooking contest, but mangos, the real star of the show.
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